Recently, silicon carbide has been used in various electronic devices as a semi-conductor material for various purposes. In particular, the silicon carbide is very useful because the silicon carbide has the superior physical strength and high resistance against the chemical attack. In addition, the silicon carbide represents the superior electronic characteristics, such as the high radiation hardness, high breakdown filed, relatively wide bandgap, high saturated electron drift velocity, high operating temperature, and high absorption and emission of quantum energy in the blue, violet and ultraviolet bands of a spectrum.
A silicon carbide powder can be manufactured by mixing and heating source materials, such as a silicon source and a carbon source. A scheme for fabricating the silicon carbide powder uses an Acheson scheme, a carbon-thermal reduction scheme, a liquid polymer thermal decomposition scheme, and a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) scheme. In particular, the liquid polymer thermal decomposition scheme or the carbon-thermal reduction scheme is used for synthesizing a high purity silicon carbide powder.
Residual oxygen produced during reaction may be included in the silicon carbide powder manufactured through the schemes. Such residual oxygen may interfere with the contact between particles of the silicon carbide powder during manufacture of a silicon carbide sintered body using the silicon carbide powder to affect sintering of the silicon carbide, thereby causing reduction of density of the silicon carbide sintered body, a process efficiency, and a yield rate.
Accordingly, there is a need for a scheme capable of reducing an amount of the residual oxygen contained in the silicon carbide powder during the manufacture of the silicon carbide powder.